1/4/2020 - wineaboutit Likes this wine:

Pnp’d, nice fruit, fresh, balanced and structured. Rhône like, very nice.

11/7/2018 - wineaboutit Likes this wine:

Deep dark magenta color, not much on the nose, bit of earth. Medium bodied with nice black cherry fruit, good acidity and balance. Punches above it’s weight class. Still drinking well, solid quaff.

7/27/2014 - wineaboutit wrote:

First bottle, of 4 that I just picked up, ran through the vinturi, it does taste like tart cherry pie. Flavorful medium bodied, nothing complex but for the price point good, a crowd pleaser from Jason Wooldridge of Hundred
Acre fame. The man does make tasty wine, and for the price point this is quite good. Fairly big for a pinot, I understand the Cherry Pie is even bigger than this. I like it, but this isn't a traditional pinot by any means, nothing like Burgundy or Oregon for that matter.

6/11/2014 - wineaboutit wrote:

Enjoyed this last evening with the neighbors, drinking at its peak now. Delicious WA. fruit, with the classic Walla Walla profile, rich, casis, dark berries, mocha with a long seamless finish. Bottle was gone in a heart beat, glad to have found this sleeper, and happy to have a few more.

3/6/2014 - wineaboutit wrote:

Ran through a Haley's corker, then decanted for 45 minutes. Rich blackberry and blueberry aromas, rich, delicious blackberry, blueberry flavors with a dash of pepper and spice. Full bodied, really in a great place. Family loved it, even several who are not wine lovers. Nice surprise, really good.

2/4/2014 - wineaboutit wrote:

At $7 hard to beat the quality in this bottle. Dark berries, chocolate, tobacco medium bodied...3 days later still tasty. Nice QPR, at a good place.

1/16/2014 - wineaboutit wrote:

Enjoyed this last night, a balanced, restrained zin, with nice flavors of faint plum, and a dash of raspberry. Acid and tannin in check, this wine could go for several more years, but so good now, why chance it. This is a style of zin, that is enjoyable, vs. the many over ripe wines out there.

1/16/2014 - wineaboutit wrote:

Decanted for a couple hours,wine is at a nice place, casis, black currant, mocha aromas, medium-full bodied with a lengthy finish. Enjoyable and well worth the wait, drink now.

12/27/2013 - wineaboutit wrote:

Ran through a Haley's corker into a vinturi and then drank from Reidel cab stems. Casis, some dark fruit and mocha aromas on the nose, medium full bodied, nice dark color. This is a well structured, Napa cab, similiar in many ways to the Robert Mondavi Napa Valley bottling, but more New World/bigger than the Robert Mondavi. On the 2nd day this wine had really opened up, casis, tobacco, black currant, black cherry, cigar box..very enjoyable. Should age well, for another 7-10 years, but no reason to wait any longer, tasty right now.

12/5/2013 - wineaboutit wrote:

Dark cherry aromas, 14.5% abv and it shows, big and flabby, warm vintage pinot noir. Disappointing.

11/24/2013 - wineaboutit wrote:

Enjoyed this wine celebrating our son's Bday. Last of 7 purchased, and we did save the best for last. Classic Italian take on cabernet sauvignon, popped and let breath for an hour and a half, earth, cigar box, dark deep cherry on the nose. Full bodied flavors of cocoa, black currant, casis, tobacco, cedar, black cherry, smokey and rich. Really delicious, this wine could have gone 10 yrs or more, a refined power house.

10/29/2013 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped and ran through a Haley's corker/aerator, aromas of musky earth and dark fruit. Full bodied w/tobacco, dark fruits, leather, plum and a long finish. Should go for another couple years easily. Excellent!

10/7/2013 - wineaboutit Likes this wine:

Classic Napa aroma, dark berries, cherry, raspberry along with cocoa, and vanilla. Full bodied,but not heavy nor flabby, with some chewy tannins and delicious matching flavors. A serious wine for not a lot of coin, excellent QPR.

8/12/2013 - wineaboutit wrote:

Ran through the vinturi into a decanter for an hour or so, nice dark fruit aromas, along with casis and light leather. Full bodied, with dark berries and chocolate notes, balanced and refined, improved as the night went on. Most likely at peak drinking, impressive.

7/29/2013 - wineaboutit Likes this wine:

Aromas of earth, cherry and some raspberry. Light medium bodied, with nice balance and acidity. Well made Cali effort, nose of Burgundy or Oregon Willamette Valley/Dundee Hills. Very good.

5/13/2013 - wineaboutit Likes this wine:

Popped and let breath for an hour, then venturi'd. Nose of dark fruit and light mint. Dark fruit flavor, and as the night went on chocolate, with the mint component developing as secondary flavors. Smooth, layered and well balanced, tannic backbone strong and present. This wine still has plenty of life left, but I supsect its peaking now. Pleasantly suprised, this could go for another decade or so stored properly.

2/16/2013 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped and let breath for an hour on Valentine's Day. Poured into Riedel Oregon pinot stemware, w/a Haley's Corker in the bottle. Aromas of Oregon pinot funk, classic
earth etc and cherry. This is light to medium bodied, nice ruby coloring, with flavors of cherry pie and light spice. The finish on this wine, lingers on and on...easily a minute or so after swallowing. Classic Dundee Hills, great stuff, last one unfortunately...but wonderful day to enjoy this excellent wine. Could have gone 5 more years easily in the cellar, but why wait?

1/25/2013 - wineaboutit wrote:

Let breath for 2 hrs then ran through a Haley's Corker. Classic Napa cabernet, nose of dark fruits, cedar, roasted coffee and cocoa. Full bodied w/matching flavors. Delicious, at its peak now.

1/11/2013 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped and ran through a Haley's Corker, last night celebrating a family members birthday, along with some friends. Dark fruit and mocha aromas, this is a full bodied, hedonistic style...rich, and then some. Deep dark fruits, cigar box and cedar permeate on the attack. Alc is at 14.4%, but not overt, I really liked this style. a cigar wine out on the deck. Not for everyone, as it is lacking in some balance and refinement, but the delicious factor from the wonderful fruit, and oak, works for me. This was in huge contrast to the Erath Prince Hill pinot '02 we had enjoyed earlier in the evening, but we thoroughly enjoyed this wine. This wine could evolve for several more years, peak drinking 2016 or so. Nice find, had purchased several years ago at the winery, nice people too.

1/11/2013 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped this last night on wife's birthday, ran through Haley's Corker, wonderful aromas of floral cherry blossoms and light earth. Light bodied w/flavors of cherry pie, beautifully balanced, layers of spice, along with hints of strawberry. Paired beautifully with our grilled salmon, organic salad and roasted asparagus. Excellent Oregon pn, believe this could easily go another 5 years +. Pleasantly surprised this wine had aged so well.

1/5/2013 - wineaboutit Likes this wine:

Ran this through a cool wine accessory, Haley's Corker, last night,
rich deep dried cherry flavors, along w/nice acidity and light tannin.
A Washington state take on barbera, much richer in flavor and depth than most Italian barberas I've tasted. Went nicely with our spaghetti and artisian sourdough bread. Day 2: This wine has opened and is a little rich and tiny bit flabby & grapey, would be my only critisism, IMO, so no improvement from Day 1. Still an interesting take on the varietal, and enjoyable enough drink. Woodward Canyon, so consistent with all their offerings.

1/2/2013 - wineaboutit wrote:

P'd n aerated on New Year's Eve, along with some NY strips that I grilled on the deck. The cork was in fantastic shape, looked new, no sign of anything... for an almost 14 yr old wine, good. Nose of dark fruit, casis, faint tobacco/cigar box and musty earth. Full bodied, classic cab flavor profile, after 2 hours the wine had opened, very smooth and flavorful, 90pts. Day 2 Fading, fruit is turning to a ripe plum, we should have finished the bottle Day 1...hoping this would improve, and wanted to gauge how this would age. Alas, not there, Day 2, 84 pts, for an overall 87. In reviewing some of the other posts, this wine does appear to be declining slowly, advise drinking now, as well. Nice bottle, hoping it would be a little more.

1/1/2013 - wineaboutit Likes this wine:

Had this at a friends home Sunday night. She vinturid, and we couldn't identify the varietal at first. Some cherry and strawberry aromas, faint. Light bodied and smooth, almost no tannin/acid, some thought this was a merlot. Pleasing flavor of rasberry and strawberry, smooth as silk. After an hour, some light Oregon funk started coming on. Drink now, believe this is past its prime.

12/31/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Ran through the vinturi, nice aromas of dark fruit, leather and cedar. Medium bodied, with flavors of mocha, raspberry, and light vanilla. Neat, precise and refined...more like a fine bordeaux than a New World Napa cab. Really enjoyed the finish, as the intricate flavors lingered on. Cork appeared to be new, encouraging for a 11 yr old wine. Excellent vintage, drink now, don't think this will improve with any additional age, but like most Mondavi cabs, will be drinkable for many years to come.

12/29/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

PnP'd on Maui, wonderful aromas of raspberry, cherry and light vanilla. Enjoyed at Leilani's, decanter not available, but this wine is stellar right out of the bottle. Where's a decanter when you need one? Delicious, world class pn, medium bodied w/rich dark fruit flavors, light delicate spice and pristine, meticulous integratiion of oak. Will improve over the next several years, score climbing up the ladder as this lovely wine matures.

12/4/2012 - wineaboutit Likes this wine:

Popped and vinturi'd. Aromas of dark cherry and raspberry, smooth, full bodied and holding up surprisingly well. Flavors of dark fruit, and a nice mocha, chocolate flavor too. Tasty and easy quaffing.

12/4/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Rich and deep flavors of casis, dark chocolate, tobacco, leather and black cherry. Full bodied, and a classic Napa cabernet. Winery has gone belly up, vineyards purchased by Bill Hallaran, more to come I'm guessing.

11/22/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Matched well w/our turducken on Thanksgiving. Nice aromas of dark cherry, raspberry and earth. Medium to full bodied, with flavors of rich dark fruit, but still with decent acidity and light tannin. A clean lengthy finish, made this wine very enjoyable. Drinking well right now, most likely at its peak.

11/17/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Brought this to dinner in downtown Portland last night, popped and decanted. Cork in great shape, looked almost brand new, with a tight seal. Dried cherry aromas, w/a hint of earth. Medium bodied, refined with a nice balance of acid and tannin, dried cherry flavor. Imagine this can go for awhile still, 10 yrs? Didn't last long, so the score might be a little low...as this was still opening up when the bottle emptied.

10/22/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Vinturi'd, aromas of wet earth, blackberry and raspberry. Dark color, with a lovely medium body, refined and elegant. The wine is nicely structured, and lithe, with restrained dark fruit flavor, sophisticated for the price point. Lengthy finish, the wine is balanced and well made. This should cellar well for another 5-7 yrs, maybe longer. Drinking so well now, no need to wait.

10/26/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped and vinturi'd. Mostly cherry on the nose, medium bodied almost big for an Oregon pinot. Flavors of ripe cherry, spice and a bit of tomatoe, a bit of acid on the finish. I really liked the wine on Day 1, Day 2 the wine had opened, and seemed a little flabby,and riper than on the first day, to me not quite as appealing as Day 1. Pretty good 2nd label from the folks at Daedalus.

10/20/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Ran through the vinturi, casis, moist earth and chocolate aromas. Medium bodied, a little light for a cab, w/flavors of dark fruits, and a fairly short finish. Not going anywhere better, drink up.

10/28/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Aromas of cherry and earth. Light medium bodied, with delicious flavors of cherry pie, spice and raspberry. A lengthy finish, major yum factor.

9/8/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped and enjoyed at the winery on a beautiful Oregon summer day. Aromas of cherry and earth, drinking out of Riedel Oregon pinot stems, this wine was delicious right out of the bottle. Medium bodied w/flavors of cherry, nutmeg and a hint of strawberry. Combined with the beautiful views and great company, very nice bottle. At it's peak now, but could age pretty well, acid still there.

6/11/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Consistent w/all my prior notes. Popped & enjoyed on a beautiful Oregon evening on the deck. This captures the terrior and elegance of Oregon pinot noir in a simple yet classic way. Aromas of earthy funk, cherry & raspberry that keep getting fresher as the night goes on ,while drinking out of Riedel Oregon pinot stems, which do enhance the flavor of this wine. A classic Oregon pinot noir, and IMO a stellar example of the Dundee Hills appelation. Superior wine, from experienced producers, in a somewhat challenging vintage. Experience is the best teacher, these pn veterans know what they are doing! Excellent, should continue to improve for another 5 years.

5/24/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped and poured, ripe raspberry and cherry aromas. Medium to full bodied for a pn, not typical for Oregon by any means. Has a little more muscle, but not the refinement, finesse or depth of flavor, to really rate as excellent. Liked the screw cap, many folks will like this style, more Calif. vs a classic Oregon profile. As the vineyards are in McMinnville, the terrior may be somewhat unique, vs the rest of the Willamette Valley, explaining the fullness of the body. '06 was a warm vintage,
and the fruit is ripe, should you run across in your wine shop, worth checking out.

5/20/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

PnP'd, aromas of tropical fruit and oak/vanilla. Medium bodied w/classic chardonnay flavors, complex and pleasing. Not a great chard, but one that is satisfying and complex. Serious effort from our neighbors up north. Well worth seeking.

5/20/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Pretty solid effort here. Popped and poured, on Tuesday, aromas of tobacco, cherry some light leather. Had a glass, recorked and left in the fridge for three days.
Had a glass on Friday, removing from the fridge and letting warm up to 60 degrees, neat and balanced, w/balanced flavors of dark fruit, ie cherry, and tobacco. Great QPR, solid value.

4/29/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

PnP'd, found this at a Portland Safeway for the price of $8.39 vs the winery price of $20. From the stellar '08 vintage, had a feeling this was going to be a very good find. And, yes it is, enjoyed tonight w/a nice salmon filet and shrimp salad. Aromas of cherry, blackberry along w/some vanilla/oak. Medium bodied, w/a matching flavor profile, this is a crazy value in quality Oregon pinot noir, sprint to your Oregon Safeway, and pick this up, while it is on a 30% discount. Alc. in check at 13.8%, quite the bargain, buy this wine!

3/22/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

PNP'D watching the Blazers beat the Grizzlies tonight. Dried cherries on the nose, soft and clean,w/ matching flavor and no tannins to speak of...a nice easy drinking food wine. Folks who are not into reds, should enjoy this wine. Consistent w/all previous notes, very solid effort for a new world dolcetto.

3/22/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Like the screw cap, PNP. Aroma of oak/vanilla, nice light color. Over oaked, tart, decent acidity. B-.

3/16/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped and poured. Aromas of dried cherries, a balanced full bodied wine, soft tannins and light acid. Assorted cherry and dark fruit flavors, soft and round...but not flabby. Most likely at its peak now...pretty solid effort.

3/9/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped and vinturi'd. Several wineries in this area are making pinot noir, Karma bein gone of them. Nose of cherry and vanilla. Medium bodied, w/berry flavors, and a cedar taste. Unbalanced and hard to recognize as pinot noir, although on Day 2 the wine had opened, and was drinkable. Will give a C for effort.

2/29/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Found this little gem at Grocery Outlet for $4.99, vs the normal $20 retail. Blend of 44% merlot, 17.5% syrah,17.5% cab sav, 9% cab franc, 6% sangiovese, 4% grenache and 2% pinot noir. I believe A to Z is the largest volume producer in the great state of Oregon, mostly known for their pinot noir. This is a full bodied treat,
aromas of dark fruits, w/flavors of blackberries, raspberries, boysenberries along w/some chocolate. Merlot is running the show, with the syrah/blackberry in the mix too. 18 months in oak plus another 15 months in the bottle prior to release, this is a serious effort. This is a nice wine, and killer QPR at GO.

2/28/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped let air for 45 minutes, poured then let sit for another 20 minutes or so. Aromas of dark fruit, and mint. Medium bodied w/a flavor profile of earthy, cherry along with a strong mint component. There was also a touch of green pepper on the back end. Neat and somewhat refined, but the mint on this is a little much, overpowering.
Day 2 No improvement, though mint has mellowed. I recall 2000 being a challenging vintage for Napa, in some areas. Don't see this improving, 1 left...would be disappointed had we payed full retail for this.

2/23/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped from magnum and ran through the vinturi starting on Sunday night. Dark fruit aromas, ripe cherry, along w/some mocha, tobacco...this wine is yummy right out of the gate. Full bodied, w/a chewy mouthfeel and flavors of dark chocolate, deep cherry, casis...impressive for a economy southern Oregon merlot. Reminds me of a bigger Beringer Stanleys Ranch merlot, at one fifth of the price. Day 2 Has opened up and is rich and full bodied, very enjoyable. Day 3 No detectable difference than Day 2, had a glass last night, full bodied, a little rustic, will be looking for more. Drinking very well, excellent QPR, one of the better Oregon merlots I've had, surprising quality.

2/15/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped this last night on Valentine's Day w/some friends. Aired for about a half hour, then ran through the vinturi...huge aromas of leather, tobacco and dark fruit. Full bodied, w/dark cherry, earth and tobacco flavors. Huge tannins, this bottle feels like it could go another 10 years easy. Just as we were finishing this, after a couple hours the wine was hitting it's stride, but would have been better the next day. Really enjoyed.

2/15/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Popped this last Friday night, ran through the vinturi. Not as refined or elegant as the last couple of bottles of this vintage. While much improved, from the case and a half I purchased years ago, this bottle was lagging behind the last few. Dark cherry aromas and flavors, w/some nutmeg, medium bodied and slightly unbalanced. Nice long finish, a couple bottles left...think these will continue to improve.

2/10/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

What I noticed first about this wine, at Grocery Outlet, was the nice Pine cases...I thought this might be a high end wine, hoping, hoping... Well it's not, but it is a solid effort in the economy relm of tempranillo. Fresh, cherry fruit, nice balance of acid and light tannin, wonderful party wine. This works w/BBQ, or roasted chicken, tacos, heck just about anything.

Popped, and right away, a synthetic cork...not a fan, but the wine tastes good...clean and light, at least a corked bottle won't ever be an issue. Aromas, not much here, some faint cherry, but nothing much to speak of, and nothing expected at this price point. ($5.99 at GO, $10-$12 retail)

One of the many things I like about this wine,is the Smart Bottle, which tells you to drink between 62 & 64 degrees, and like the Coors light can, this bottle will indicate if the wine is in the recommended temperature zone, blue around the upper right front of the label. Thankfully, :), drank this within the recommended temperature...very nice, clean, flavorful and simple wine...one that just about anyone will enjoy. Well worth trying, great for an every day kind of wine. Wish CA., OR or WA. would produce something like this.

2/8/2012 - wineaboutit wrote:

Found this in Hunington Beach, still at $5.99, the owner of the very nice liquor/wine store, said he brought it in because of a high magazine (WE) rating. Aromas of blackberry, full bodied and smooth. Simple, but well balanced, flavorful and a great QPR to boot. Not sure how they do this, but well worth you checking out.